New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley praised his players for what he called one of their strongest-ever performances after a 2-2 draw with Iran on Monday, as the All Whites came agonizingly close to securing a first World Cup victory in their history.
Iran twice came from behind in an entertaining Group G opener, which featured a brace from New Zealand forward Elijah Just, leaving both sides with a point in a tightly contested match.
“That may be our best performance ever, or since I’ve been involved with the All Whites, which is a long time,” Bazeley said. “Overall, I thought it was a really strong performance and I think we showed the world who we are and who our players are.”
The result leaves all four teams in Group G level on one point after Belgium and Egypt also drew 1-1 earlier Monday. It also extends New Zealand’s long search for a first World Cup win, with the side now winless in seven matches across three tournament appearances.
Bazeley said his team had done enough to take all three points but admitted the late equalizer from Iran’s Mohammad Mohebbi, who headed home a precise cross, was a painful setback after a disciplined defensive display.
“We came here to win, and today we were so close to making history,” he said. “We haven’t won a game at a World Cup, and we’re so close to doing that today, and that hurts.”
Despite the disappointment, Bazeley pointed to consistent progress in his team’s performances and suggested New Zealand would continue to create opportunities as the tournament progresses.
“We’ve been building and building over the few years in regards to performances,” he said. “And every game we play, we have moments within the games against good teams where we play really well and create chances. Today we were more consistent with that.”
